Corporate Advocacy Program: The best way to manage and repair your business reputation. Hiding negative complaints is only a Band-Aid. Consumers want to see how businesses take care of business. All businesses will get complaints. How those businesses take care of those complaints is what separates good businesses from bad businesses.

Only at Wal-Mart! All too often consumers, including myself, are victim of a rather clever and unique scam at Wal Mart that takes place at the cash register.

Very simple scam: the consumer pays for items after they are scanned and put into several plastic shopping bags hung on a multi-pronged carousel. Often the consumer doesn't check and one or two of the last plastic bags containing paid-for merchandise are left at the rear of the carousel and...accidentally-on-purpose get left behind because the consumer didn't see or didn't know to check. The consumer MUST go back to the store with receipt in hand to claim what got left behind, an exercise that is frustrating (long lines at the service counter, long wait to see if the items were discovered and long wait for the employee to check a black log book).

A night-manager at Wal-Mart's 83rd Avenue and Union Hills super-store in Peoria, Arizona admitted that this carousel system is designed so that some merchandise wouldn't get spotted and therefore is left behind. At another Wal-Mart location the customer "service" desk showed me a log-book of these left-behind items. It was full of literally thousands of notations with description of the product that were "forgotten" by the consumers. Who wins? The consumer? Never!

I have been victimized six times by this scam, and when I asked just what happens to the moneys a customer pays, but then doesn't somehow get his merchandise. The employee refused to answer the question. I heard one estimate from another employee-friend, however, that each Wal-Mart unit pockets between 5000 and 10000 dollars monthly from this. The explanations are that Wal-Mart simply re-stocks the unclaimed items back on the shelves and these items are therefore potentially sold TWICE, or maybe three times or more depending on chance. Only Wal-Mart can profit from this system.

Does Wal-Mart donate that undeserved money to charity? Or does it add the the Company's net profits?

Do any other retailers use such a carousel system? Wal Mart cannot claim it's not intentional because employees, ex- and current, explain that it is absolutely intentional. If they have such thick log books on this problem at each Wal-Mart store, then obviously management at every level is aware this is a "problem" at best, but what have they done to correct this? I contend they've done "nothing" - it's too lucrative for the Company to change anything...especially if the allegations are true that this is fully intentional and Wal Mart claims so many thousands a month per retail unit. Only Wal-Mart can account for just how much income they make from this.

On another note: I purchased some "fresh" salmon at a Wal-Mart store; it was stinking rotten when I opened the package, so I froze it before returning it the next day (to prevent smells in my refrigerator). i returned it the next day, but the following day I went back to the store for another reason and observed that another customer was returning the EXACT (!!!) same package I had returned 2 days before. Obviously, instead of doing the right thing, they simply put new cellophane wrap on my package and put it back on the shelf.

Why can't a retailer giant as Wal-Mart with such world-wide potential of being one of America's greatest ambassadors fix such "problems". Americans blame the Chinese for alleged lousy business practices in their food exports, but Wal Mart is a great counter-argument for the Chinese to point their finger at.

Corporate Advocacy Program: The best way to manage and repair your business reputation. Hiding negative complaints is only a Band-Aid. Consumers want to see how businesses take care of business. All businesses will get complaints. How those businesses take care of those complaints is what separates good businesses from bad businesses.

AUTHOR: Inspector - (USA)

SUBMITTED: Friday, June 25, 2010

POSTED: Friday, June 25, 2010

I have been ripped off by these notorious shopping carts too often. I get home and my sodas (which were on the bottom of the cart) were not with me. I know I put them on the cart. I think this should be investigated, Walmart is not the only store with these nefarious carts, it has happened to me in other stores too. Let's all get together and get these things banned!

AUTHOR: I am the law - (USA)

With all of the joke reports on this website, it's getting more and more difficult to pick out the serious ones. For the moment, I'll treat this one as serious.

YOU left your stuff on the bag carousel (six times, I might add) and you think you're a victim of a rip off? Well, I guess in a way, you are. You ripped yourself off.

If someone employed by Walmart physically ripped the bags out of your hands, you'd have warrant to file a ROR, but all I see here is whining by someone who wasn't paying attention when they were shopping.

Man, some people will not take responsibility for their mistakes. It's sad.

AUTHOR: Jeanski - (USA)

SUBMITTED: Saturday, June 19, 2010

POSTED: Saturday, June 19, 2010

Karl, I believe your statements are libelous, and I hope Wal Mart sues you. Your ridiculous posts add nothing to the discussion here, or anywhere else on ROR. By now it is no secret that large companies take out insurance policies on employees. No one cares.

AUTHOR: Ronny g - (USA)

SUBMITTED: Tuesday, June 15, 2010

POSTED: Tuesday, June 15, 2010

I think whomever posted that video was intending to show the customer was a drunk retard, not the cashier. The customer tries to count out some change, fails, then pays in paper and takes the change back. I did not notice the cashier do anything wrong, albeit she is probably not too happy to have to deal with drunk retards during her shift. I am sure the job sucks enough as is.

But in the background, the lane next to where the drunk retarded customer is having problems figuring out how to pay, I see a contraption with bags hanging on it, and it does not seem in any way is it possible for Walmart or it's employees to hide any bags on this device.

The bags stand out like Bruce Lee in a sea of Steven Segals. I just do not connect this device with any intent of keeping customers purchases. Now if cashiers were placing bags under the counter that is one thing, put they are hanging them on a mechanical spinning tree it seems, and you would have to be blind as a bat to not notice your bag hanging there in plain site.

AUTHOR: Edgeman - (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Monday, June 14, 2010

POSTED: Monday, June 14, 2010

You know what? I found a video on YouTube that clearly shows those carousels. I'll post a link to it. The person who made the video is a mean spirited jerk (refers to cashier as a retard and further humiliates this person) but the point is that you can see the carousels and the area around them. There is absolutely nothing preventing a customer from checking the carousel for his or her purchases.

AUTHOR: Ceadda - (U.S.A.)

One, every store I know of/shop at has the same bag system as walmart.

Why? It's an efficient system that lets the cashier easily get another bag and the customer easily remove them as they come around.

Two, whoever told you they are there so some things will be left behind is a moron.

It's walmart written policy, which is given to all cashiers during their computer learning modules, that they are to spin the bags and quickly check them all by opening them to prepare for the next customer. This ensures they can bag more quickly (the bags are now open) and that nothing is left behind.

AUTHOR: Ronny g - (USA)

SUBMITTED: Sunday, June 13, 2010

POSTED: Sunday, June 13, 2010

It looks like a contraption devised to increase space and efficiency. It does not appear to me to be any kind of carousel of deception. If you can't notice your bag hanging on that thing and walk out without it...there is a chance you were not being attentive enough.

You may not like the contraption but I really don't think in this case the big wigs at corporate thought this thing up for the purpose of keeping stuff you paid for..that is highly unlikely. People who leave stuff behind need to be more attentive, that's all.

AUTHOR: Edgeman - (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Sunday, June 13, 2010

POSTED: Sunday, June 13, 2010

The bag carousel is a roughly circular platform at the end of the cashier's counter. You can see some images of these platforms by doing an image search on Google: http://www.google.com/images?q=walmart%20bag%20carousel&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

It's very easy for a consumer to check the carousel since they are just sitting there at the end of the counter. Granted, it is proper for the cashier to spin the carousel but any customer can easily check him/herself. It's difficult to imagine somebody leaving their purchases behind six times. The log book contains entries of items left behind so that there is some kind of reference in case the customer comes back for any item left behind.

I find the part about the salmon to be hard to believe. How could the OP determine that a package of salmon a customer returned was the exact same package the OP returned a day earlier?

AUTHOR: Ronny g - (USA)

I don't shop at Walmart simply because I'd rather pay more to have a little better service, and I don't always trust a person stacking cat food cans to held me pick out a camera or fresh fish...

But as striderq stated..fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me, fool me six times there is something VERY wrong with "me".

I am not familiar with this carousel system however, are the bags spinning so fast you can not tell which is yours? I don't get it. But I know if I walk out of a store without my packages, unless they hid them very well, I make sure I leave with what I paid for or it's kind of my own fault. Does this carousel hide your bags in some way?

AUTHOR: Topcat75 - (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Sunday, June 13, 2010

POSTED: Sunday, June 13, 2010

I have also had the same experience as the original reporter had. It has happened to me twice. I feel compelled to defend the person to some extent. I agree that 6 times is excessive and that ultimately it is the responsibility of the customer to check for bags left behind. However I do have a problem with what I perceive to be a customer service issue. If I go thru the full service line I feel it is the cashiers' responsibility to make sure I have all my purchases. They can just as easily spin the carousel to see that all my bags are retrieved before they attend to the next customer. This will also give me time to put my change away. Its like if you go thru the drive thru at a fast food place. Technically I should expect that I have napkins and catsup (not to mention all of my order) when I`ve ordered greasy fries and burgers. I know the poor cashiers don`t make alot of money but the job is the job. Mall-Wart makes enough money without restocking left items.

AUTHOR: JP - (United States of America)

SUBMITTED: Sunday, June 13, 2010

POSTED: Sunday, June 13, 2010

I worked as a cashier at Wal-Mart until 2 weeks ago. We were actually taught to spin the bag carousel while checking each bag holder before we would give the customer their receipt. This was to ensure that no bags were left behind. Unfortunately, usually during a busy time of the day, this step would sometimes be overlooked. I have actually seen quite a few cashiers running after a customer into the parking lot because their purchases were left behind. It is definitely not done on purpose. The process of logging the detailed information required for these items left behind is not something any cashiers look forward to. Wal-Mart and its employees are not trying to steal anyones money. Sometimes stuff happens and that's just life!

AUTHOR: Striderq - (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Sunday, June 13, 2010

POSTED: Sunday, June 13, 2010

Six times??? Really? Six times??? I can maybe see this happening once but to actually post here that you haven't learned after six times. What's that quote, oh yeah "fool me once". It's not a scam. They don't take the bags off the courosel and hide them from you. You're just too lazy to spin the courosel to make sure you got all thebags. Another otion woul be to go through the self checkout and that way you bg the items and can't leave something behind. But really, six times??? Too funny.

AUTHOR: FleecedAgain - (USA)

SUBMITTED: Saturday, June 12, 2010

POSTED: Saturday, June 12, 2010

First of all, what are you doing shopping at Walmart given their unscrupulous business practices in general. The do some very shady and destructive things simply because they can. Walmart was built upon and sustains itself through a culture of deceit.

Their illegal labor practices are legendary. Their callous destruction of other businesses is equally well known.

Now for the matter at hand, it's simply mind boggling that anyone would leave items on the carousel six times and leave the store without checking. Do you hold General Motors responsible when you run out of gas?

It's not just Walmart that uses this device. Maybe the consumer has to actually pay attention to what's going on and not expect everyone else to do their job. It's your responsibility as well as theirs.

Where is the personal responsibility in this case. And then of course, we know, most of us, it does not take much gray matter to get hired at Walmart and even less to shop at Walmart.

Clearly, in this case, it's not all Walmart's fault. Now come on - admit it.

AUTHOR: Jeanski - (USA)

SUBMITTED: Saturday, June 12, 2010

POSTED: Saturday, June 12, 2010

Ronny, I wouldn't typically describe you as a funny guy but that response was priceless! My grocery store also uses a carousel system and you have to be very careful. I shop Wal Mart a lot because I'm on a strict budget, so I'm familiar with the carousel issue. But I'm more interested in what happened to good customer service....? . Really, how hard is it for the clerk to pick up the bags, hand them to you, and say "Have a nice day"? Mostly they just move on the the next customer and I have to pick up all my bags, ALWAYS double checking to ensure I got them all. Sometimes difficult since she's already bagging the next customer. Anyone from Wal Mart want to reply???

AUTHOR: MsTracy - (USA)

SUBMITTED: Friday, June 11, 2010

POSTED: Friday, June 11, 2010

I think that you're right on the money about this situation. The majority of the time it's the cashier who's scanning the merchandise, and placing the items into the bags. A lot of times they spin that carousel around so quickly in order to get you through the line you can't remember if you have grabbed every bag off of that carousel. It's happened to me on more than one occasion; the cashier is ringing up the next customer in line, and you're still trying to get the rest of your bags off of that carousel. It's definitely an "assembly line" mentality. Also, I agree with you about the "re-stocked" merchandise that clearly shouldn't have been put back on the shelf. I was attempting to a buy a novelty traffic light from Wal-Mart over the Christmas holidays, and the two lights that were on the shelf were non-functional. My first clue should have been that both of the boxes were smashed, and were duct-taped shut. The employees at the service center were mystified that both of these non functioning lights had been placed back on the shelf. The employees removed both of the lights from the boxes, and both of them were broken. Just my opinion... Thanks!

AUTHOR: Ronny g - (USA)

SUBMITTED: Friday, June 11, 2010

POSTED: Friday, June 11, 2010

I have never heard this one before about a carousel system used to rip off customers...if I ever go into a Walmart again (my last time was my first time, which was also my last time), I will watch for this.

But I would never consider Walmart a place to purchase fresh fish. Where do they keep this fish?...somewhere between auto parts air fresheners and woman's shoes?

Corporate Advocacy Program: The best way to manage and repair your business reputation. Hiding negative complaints is only a Band-Aid. Consumers want to see how businesses take care of business. All businesses will get complaints. How those businesses take care of those complaints is what separates good businesses from bad businesses.